Floor-board-antirattling device.



B4B. MITCHELL.

FLOOR BOARD ANTIRATTLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26, 1913.

Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

THE NORRIS PETERS 60., PHOTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON. D. C

ERNEST n. MITCHELL, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORTOMIELCLI-IELL SPECIALTY COMPANY, or

PENNSYLVANIA.

PHILA ELPHIA,rnivivsvnvnivm, A conronnrroiv or FLOOR-BOARD-ANTIRATTLINGDEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent, Patented 20 1914 Application filed Julyas, 191a Serial No. "781,372.

To all whom it may concern 7 Be it known that I, ERNEST R. MITCHELL, acitizen of the'United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,have invented certain Improvements in Floor-Board-Antirattling Devices,of which the, following is a specification. i a

One object of this invention is to provide a device particularlyadaptable to the removable floor section of a motor vehicle, forpreventing said section from moving relatively to the main portion ofthe floor and consequently causing the objectionable rattling noiseordinarily produced under conditions of use, it being especiallysdesiredthat said device shall be relatively simple, substantial, andinexpensive in its construction. These objects and other advantageousends I secure as hereinafter set forth, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan of a portion of thefloor of a motor vehicle showing the application of my inventionthereto; Fig. 2 is a vertical'section on the line aa, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 isa verticalsection on an enlarged scale illustrating the detailconstruction of one of the holding rollers; Fig. 4; is a front elevationof a portion of one end of the removable floor section, furtherillustrating the invention.

In the above drawings, 1 represents the main portion of the floor of amotor vehicle, which at its sides is provided with shouldered portions 2for the support of the removable floor section 3. This latter is usuallyin the form of'a more or less elongated rectangular piece of wood orother suitable material of such thickness that the shoulders 2 supportits top surface substantially flush with the level of the main portionof the floor. Said section 3 adjacent each end is usually provided withlinger holes 4 or other suitable devices whereby it may be convenientlyengaged for purposes of removal and in order to prevent it rattlingunder conditions of use, I mount in each end, a metallic casing 5 heldin place by screws 6 and providing an elongated recess 9 of rectangularsection in which is mounted a rubber or other resilient roller 7. Thelatter is preferably carried on a metallic spindle 8 which extendslongitudinally through the recess 9 in which the roller is mounted andis rotatably or permanently fixed inthe ends of the casing 5 in suchposition as to permit the cylindrical surface of the roller ,to projectsome distance beyond the plane of theend of the floor section 3. c It isimmaterial whether the roller 7 rotates onthe spindle 8 or whether it isfixed to spindle, which itself rotates in suitable bearings of thecasing structure 5. a

The edges of the main floor structure abuttingv the ends of theremovable section 3 are recessed. as at 10. immediately adjacent theroller 7 as shown, inFig. 3,being preferably under-cut so as to be of anangular section. is preferable that the edge ofthe main floorsectionimmediately above the recess 10 shall extend substantially atright angles to its top face to a point a short distance below thel evelof the top of the roller 7 when the removable floor section is in itsnormal position, and from this "point the wall of the recess extendsinwardly into the edge of the main floor section at an angle of froni'30to 45, for example. As a result of this construction, when one end ofthe removable floor section 3 is made to rest upon the shoulder 52 ofthe main floor body in the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2,with one of its rollers 7 entered in its corresponding recess, the otherend of said section would freely enter the opening in the floor so as torest upon the second shoulder 2, except for the projection of the secondresilient roller 7 which prevents this action. If now pressure beexerted upon the still elevated end of the removable floor section, therubber of one or both rollers is compressed until finally the secondroller enters its recess in the adjacent portion of the floor body.

Owing to the inwardly inclined walls of the recesses 10, both rollers byreason of their tendency to return to their original cylindrical forms,draw or tend to draw the removable floor section downwardly intoengagement with the shoulders 2 and hold it in intimate contact with thelatter while preventing its relative movement regardless of thevibration to which the motor vehicle is ordinarily subjected. In orderto still further insure the complete prevention of rattling or noise dueto relative movement which might occur between the floor body and theremovable floor section, I may place thin rubber strips 11 on the upperfaces of the shoulders 2 so that they will be engaged by the lower faceof the removable floor section by reason of the co-action of the rollersand the angular walls of the recesses 10.

When it is desired to remove the floor section, the operator, afterinserting a finger in one of the openings &, draws upwardly one end ofsaid section 3 and in so doing causes one or both of the rollers 7 to becompressed sufliciently to allow it to pass out of the recess 10. In anycase, the action of the rollers efiectually prevents any such relativemovement between the floor body and the floor section as might otherwiseproduce rattling or other objectionable noise and at the same timeallows the said floor section to be conveniently removed or replaced.

I claim 1. The combination of a floor for a motor vehicle having anopening and provided with supporting shoulders; and a removable sectionfitting said opening and resting on said shoulders, each end of saidsection and the adjacent edge of the opening constituting two parts, ofwhich one is provided with a resilient roller and the other has anundercut recess formed with an inclined wall co-acting with said rollerto hold the removable section in engagement with the shoulders.

2. The combination of a floor for motor vehicles having an openingprovided with supporting vshoulders; resilient strips on said shoulders;a removable floor section mounted in the opening in position to rest onsaid strips; and an anti-rattling device at each end of said floorsection, the same consisting of a resilient roller mounted in one of theparts comprised by the floor body and the removable section, the otherof said parts having an under-cut recess for the reception of saidroller.

3. The combination of a floor for motor vehicle having an openingprovided with supporting shoulders; a removable section fitting saidopening and formed to rest upon said shoulders, there being recessesformed in the edges of the floor structure adjacent the shoulders andhaving walls inclined inwardly from the opening; a removable floorsection fitting the opening; with a resilient roller in each end of saidsection formed to enter said recesses and remain in the upper portionsthereof when the removable section occupies its normal position.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ERNEST R. MITCHELL.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM E. BRADLEY, Jos. I-I. KLEIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C.

